The Film Reporter

‘Will’ (2011) is the name of an orphan who has had a rough childhood as you can imagine. His mother died just 3 years ago, and his father abandoned him after her death.

Will is a die hard Liverpool FC fan, it’s all he has left in life worth fighting for. After receiving two Liverpool tickets for the 2005 Champions League cup final in Istanbul, he embarks in a solo journey with many obstacles in his path as well as a friend he picks up in Paris.

It should be said though that this film does seem to turn away from realism. Receiving 9000 euros from a stranger who wants to make child’s dream come true, I mean come on. As well as his fathers tickets being fake as well as passing through many countries without a passport. But I don’t think it ever occurred to director Ellen Perry to be realistic. The film reminded me of the poetic documentary genre. Being subjective to many aspects, usually Liverpool FC. Ellen often uses archive footage of Liverpool goals and the Liverpool fans are presented as one huge family, a family that sticks together and would die for their club. 

The appearance of Liverpool players and Dalgleish in this film was surprising and brought a smile to my face. I’m a die-hard Brighton & Hove Albion supporter, but towards the end of the climax, I was debating whether Brighton really was my team.

A heart warming film that has a poetic atmosphere around Liverpool FC, a great film for a football fan, a poor film for anyone else.

Will 6/10

“Life is but a dream” words said by Beyonce to her husband Jay Z on vacation. 

Life is but a Dream is a film that simply follows Beyonce on her journey at a current point in her life. A point so high in international fame and commercial success that she made this documentary. During which time we see and hear Beyonce’s voice for the first time in intimate quarters on her personal life and her career. 

I guess I could tell you that the documentary is a really really long music video, constantly seeing Beyonce strutting her stuff on many foreign soils whilst being decorated with Beyonce’s emotions through narration and interview. But let’s not get negative, this is an interesting documentation of life and love, the highs and lows of which is highlighted. 

Beyonce is a woman who is strong, strong for her family and her career. Throughout the documentary Beyonce overcomes many obstacles that has been planted in front of her, there is no doubting, Beyonce is one of the biggest celebrities to have graced this earth, but more than that, she’s an indescribably talented woman who loves the art she makes and loves making people happy through her art.

As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan.

Currently in theatres as of yesterday, ‘Seeking a Friend’ from it’s story seems to have possibly found a balance between comedy and drama. Steve Carell is good enough to pull something like that off, which he presented in Little Miss Sunshine (2004). 

If your bored today and think you may want to do something with your life, then dude, go to the cinema, there’s great material in there at the moment for choice, with Ted, Spiderman, Seeking a Friend, Magic Mike and more!

“Once more into the fray…
Into the last good fight I’ll ever know….
Live and die on this day…
Live and die on this day” 

The Grey (2011) is a film based on survival and friendship. Ottway (Neeson) is a man who has lost his only love in the world, and has escaped into the isolation of Alaska. Most of the film follows the group slowly falling apart as they flea for their lives. As the journey proceeds we learn more about the characters and pray for their survival. The Grey is a very touching film with a great score, and a solid performance from Liam Neeson who stated in interviews he believes it’s the best acting he’s ever done.

Here’s a theme I don’t often blog on, but Gumball 3000 is incredible and a dream of mine, and this year it’s cross-country across the US whilst pit stopping in Toronto.

To celebrate Dennis Hopper’s birthday, I felt it was ideal to write a short review on his masterpiece of direction and performance of Easy Rider (1969).

Easy Rider (1969) a film most didn’t understand is a film, well I don’t really understand. The film doesn’t contain much of a story and certainly no real goals, apart from the drugs they’re trying to smuggle in their fuel lines, but that doesn’t play a part in the film. 

The film supposedly by Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun Times) is a about how these men had sold out to the mirror image of a redneck in a truck. It’s a fantastic film that needs to be seen as everyone has a different opinions on Easy Rider. What I got out of it was that it was a statement on the country at the time in the 60’s. 

Today is a mention for World Cinema, a brand of cinema that people so often shrug off as incompetent, lack of skill, or sometimes (in my opinion) laziness from the audience to interact with the different cultures other than highly fuelled gun shooting Americans.

I Wish (Kiseki) is a film directed by the highly regarded Hirokazu Koreeda. The plot summary is 12-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents’ divorce, begins to believe that the new bullet train service will create a miracle when the first trains pass each other at top speed. This hope, is what drives the narrative into the direction of a journey, a journey that will no doubt deliver a coming of age experience for them. 

The Guardian newspaper has said that ‘I Wish’ is “A Gem of World cinema”.The film is released 11th May 2012 around the states in limited cinema outlets, so check your art house cinemas around you to check if they’re showing it, if not I’m afraid your just going to have to wait for the DVD, I know I will. 

Check out the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1650453/ 

Hi guys, above is a short film I made with a few guys for a film project, I researched the great Hitchcock in detail about how he created his famous suspense in his films. I then incorporated them into this final film.

If you guys like to watch a good short film then you’re at the right place, it got good public reviews!